Vehicle transmissions typically have multiple gears. For a given speed of rotation of an input shaft of the transmission, each gear when engaged results in a different speed of rotation and/or direction of rotation of an output shaft of the transmission.
One example of a vehicle transmission has a park position, a reverse position, a neutral position, a high position, and low position. In the park position, the output shaft is locked and cannot rotate. In the reverse position, the output shaft rotates in a direction that causes the vehicle to move in a reverse direction. In the high and low positions, the output shaft rotates in a direction that causes the vehicle to move in a forward direction. In the low position, the output shaft rotates slower than in the high position, however more torque is provided to the wheels in the low position than in the high position. The operator of the vehicle having the transmission selects the position of the transmission via a gear selector having positions corresponding to each of the positions of the transmission.
In some vehicles such as all terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the like, there is a large difference between the transmission ratio of one gear (for example, a high gear) and another gear (for example, the low gear). In such vehicles, the transmission ratio often changes by a factor of two or more when the gear is changed. Due to the large difference in rotation speeds of the various transmission shafts, the operator of the vehicle has to typically stop the vehicle momentarily before engaging a desired gear. Having to stop the vehicle momentarily to engage a different gear is inconvenient and leads to an unsatisfactory driving experience. It would be desirable to be able to change gears while driving a vehicle without having to momentarily stop the vehicle.
Therefore, there is a need for a vehicle transmission which facilitates the engagement of the gears of the transmission.